Access Fandom

improving disability access in fandom

These guidelines come out of my experience working on WisCon, a 1000-person annual convention in a recently remodeled hotel.

There are many elements to making your event wheelchair-accessible. While U.S. law requires minimal wheelchair access, never rely on a venue's general assertion of "oh yes, we're accessible." Those little wheelchair stickers? Anyone can buy them and post them at will, even at the bottom of a flight of steps.

There's an entire shelf of 2-in (5,08 cm) thick books on this topic; so consider this the Twitter version. Links to helpful resources appear on June Isaacson Kaile's site.

David Hingsburger is a long-time disability rights activist who's begun using a wheelchair in the last few years. His essay "12 Steps? Me, I'd Rather Sit" captures the frustration of a last-minute change from an inaccessible venue to one that worked for him:

begin quote…These things are difficult because while I appreciate everyone's understanding, I didn't want it. While I was thankful for the extra effort made to find a room immediately, I didn't want it. What I wanted was simple. Accessibility.

Accessibility doesn't just mean I get easily into a building. Accessibility means anonymity. It reduces the need for compassion, understanding, special consideration, to Nil. It allows me to slip in unnoticed and set up quietly. This doesn't mean it masks my disability, it just makes it mean something very different.…quote ends

Verify & reportDo an on-site survey with someone who's truly familiar with the needs of wheelchair and scooter users. (Not all wheelchair users automatically have this knowledge, just as not all walking people know everything about sidewalk construction. Some non-wheelchair users also have these skills.)

Check for level paths to every area. A single, unramped step is as significant a blockade as two flights of stairs. Wheelchairs need at the very least 36" (1 m) for corridors and 60" (1,5 m) to turn around.

Describe any non-conforming areas in your publicity and program: forewarned is forearmed, and it demonstrates that you've actually checked the place out. Don't use the term "wheelchair-friendly," which has no defined meaning. Do reference any standards the venue meets: "ADA compliant" in WisCon's case.

Make sure that stages are ramped as well. (Our venue can only ramp one stage at a time. This requires members to self-ID at reg, and program coordination to place ensure the ramped stage and the wheelchair using panelists are in the same room. I know from experience it's easy to blow this one.)

Wheelchair Parking aka Blue ZonesProviding designated wheelchair parking in all seating areas permits wheelchair users the same freedom to come and go as those using the seats. Well-meaning non-disabled people will often say, "oh, but of course I'll move a chair out of the way if you just ask." And from their viewpoint, that's a one-to-one personal issue. But from perspective of us wheelchair users, it's a one-to-many problem, since we must ask for seating rearrangement every where we go.

If you know how many wheelchair users are in attendance, be sure you make that many blue zones at the big get-togethers. (Otherwise, 1 for every 100 is a rough guideline.) Always have at least one blue zone, especially in the smallest program rooms (where crowding is most an issue). When you have room for two, put one up front and one in the back. The former is great for the wheelchair user who may also have hearing or vision impairment; the latter works well for those of us who get claustrophobic and need to be able to leave right away.

Having done access for BiCons in the UK for many years I wanted to say hurray for this post. I find at BiCons we get 200ish people residential, about 4-6 of those full or part-time wheelchair/scooter users for the duration of our event and our venue staff rarely believe that I can predict this level of request a year in advance.

I also avoid using "wheelchair accessible" as a description and in any access report I'm known to say "Might get a small manual chair in here but I doubt someone could self-propel with ease if at all" as a lot of UK venues claim to meet DDA (our ADA equivalent) standards but patently forget things like having keyholes at sitting height for accommodation, so this does get mentioned to them and an alternative requested.

I like the blue-zones idea - that's a new one on me.

The UK Bi Community have a wiki for venue checking for people who don't necessarily know the area well or want a handy printable "printable to take with them" at http://resources.bi.org/wiki/index.php/Accessibility_Checklists which people are welcome to use if they find it helpful. It includes some general access stuff as well as mobility.